Hal Brown: Why Marin needs campaign finance reform

SOMEONE SAID "it's about time" when I mentioned I was working on a draft ordinance with fellow Supervisor Charles McGlashan to reform campaign finances for Marin.

Marin is a relatively small county, with 11 incorporated cities and towns.

Our number of registered voters and voter participation has remained constant over the years.

Marin has about 152,000 registered voters, and the average voter turnout ranges from 35 percent to 89 percent, depending on whether it is a local or presidential election. These numbers haven't changed much over the past decade.

However, the cost of running for office has increased dramatically.

A candidate running for the Board of Supervisors now needs to raise $50,000 to $250,000 to mount a credible campaign. The vast majority of contributions to local candidates are in the $50 to $200 range. This makes candidates running for office vulnerable to the sway of a single large contributor.

This begs the questions: How much is too much? When does a contribution from someone or some entity create an obligation or expectation that may not be in the best interest of the community at large?

There are two major components to campaign finance reform:

- First, limit the dollar amount any one contributor can make to a candidate running for office.

- Second, limit the amount of money a candidate spends on campaigning.

There is a third, more insidious component, and that is the impact of the independent expenditure committees, whose sole purpose is to support or oppose a candidate, ballot measure or proposition, often using "hit pieces" and issuing no information on who is paying for it.

Supervisor McGlashan and I are of the belief that an individual, friend, relative or big supporter should be able to give up to $1,000; and a business or organization, which may represent from dozens to several hundred people, should be allowed to contribute $1,500. What we do not support are gifts or contributions that have been as high as $5,000 to $10,000

Contributions of this nature could indeed affect the outcome of an election, or worse, the actions of the candidate if and when they take office. Balanced against this problem is the desire we share not to make it impossible for a new candidate with fewer contacts to raise sufficient funds to mount a campaign.

Another equally important component is the impact of independent expenditure committee money on the outcome of local elections.

There must be more transparency and accountability in who the committees represent, how they raised money and how they spent it. There have several examples in recent elections of "hit pieces" funded by large contributors who have hidden their identity behind lax reporting laws.

McGlashan and I hope to change these rules so that all expenditures made for campaigns in our community are fairly represented to the citizens whom the IECs hope to manipulate.

In combination with adoption of a voluntary contribution limit, we think we have made a good start in addressing the two biggest issues in need of campaign finance reform. We will continue to explore the legal options in the upcoming months.

Hal Brown represents the Ross Valley on the Marin County Board of Supervisors. He lives in Sleepy Hollow.